Korg POLYSIX Owner's Manual page 16

3) UNISON
This mode provides monophonic lead and bass line capabilities, with all 6 voices assigned to one note.
Individual voices are automatically detuned slightly to produce a thick, fat texture. For maximum flexibility, "Last
Note Priority" is used and "Return to Previous Note" capabilities are provided.
Last Note Priority causes the instrument to always sound the last note played, regardless of how many other
keys are still depressed, or whether the new note is higher or lower than the previous note.
Return to Previous Note capability allows you to easily produce trills, slurs and arpeggios. If one or more notes
are played and held down in succession, the instrument will sound the last note played as described above. If the
current note is released, the previous note will be automatically replayed if it is still held down, without having to
restrike that note. If that note is then released, the next previous note will be replayed, and so forth up to a
maximum of five notes. For example, if you play and hold down C, E, D, G, F in sequence, and then release F, G,
D, E in sequence, you will hear C, E, D, G, F, G, D, E, C. If you have more than 5 notes depressed, only the last 5
notes played will be "remembered"; previous notes will be "forgotten".
Trills may be easily played by holding one note down and rapidly playing and releasing one or more other
notes. This is especially effective when you manually arpeggiate an interval or chord above or below the held
note, letting the held note sound between every other note. Rolled arpeggios may be performed by playing and
holding down the notes of a chord in sequence and then releasing them in reverse sequence.
4) POLY
This mode allows up to 6 notes to be played simultaneously, using "rotary" assignment with last-note priority.
Each key pressed activates a new voice; thus, the old voices can continue to sound or release for a more natural
or spacious sound. If more than six notes are held down at once, the "oldest" voice (or voices) are reassigned to
the new key(s), while the more recently assigned voices are undisturbed. For example, if voices 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
are assigned in order to six keys, then when you play two more keys, voices 1 and 2 stop sounding the old notes
and are reassigned to the new keys. Please note: the voices that are dropped when new keys are played will not
return when the new keys are released, even if the old keys are still held down. This is the opposite of how the
Unison mode works (see above).
If less than 6 notes are held down at any one time, the notes that are held down will conti n ue to sound
(assuming that EG settings do not make them fade away "automatically"). For example, if you play a 3-note chord,
hold it down, and play a melody line, the chord will continue to sound. Three voices will stay assigned to the chord,
and the other three will rotate between the melody notes. You do not have to worry about voices "dropping out"
from a chord or bass note you want to hold, as long as you hold down the note(s) you want to keep and do not
have more then six keys depressed at any one time. This results in a very natural sound, with an absolute
minimum of limits or restrictions on your playing style.
16
VCO1
VCO4
VCO2
VCO5
Returns to VCO1
VCO3
VCO6